Since no graptolites are known living, or, indeed, since palaeozoic
times, the interpretation of their structure and affinities must of
necessity be extremely conjectural, and it is by no means certain that
they are Hydrozoa at all. It can only be said that their organization,
so far as the state of their preservation permits it to be ascertained,
offers closer analogies with the Hydrozoa, especially the
Calyptoblastea, than with any other existing group of the animal
kingdom.
See the treatise of Delage and Hérouard (HYDROZOA, [4]), and the
article GRAPTOLITES.
ORDER V. Trachylinea.--Hydromedusae without alternation of generations,
i.e. without a hydroid phase; the medusa develops directly from the
actinula larva, which may, however, multiply by budding. Medusae with
sense-organs represented by otocysts derived from modified tentacles
(tentaculocysts), containing otoliths of endodermal origin, and
innervated from the ex-umbral nerve-ring.
This order, containing the typical oceanic medusae, is divided into two
sub-orders.
SUB-ORDER 1. TRACHOMEDUSAE.--Tentacles given off from the margin of the
umbrella, which is entire, i.e. not lobed or indented; tentaculocysts
usually enclosed in vesicles; gonads on the radial canals. The medusae
of this order are characterized by the tough, rigid consistence of the
umbrella, due partly to the dense nature of the mesogloea, partly to the
presence of a marginal rim of chondral tissue, consisting of thickened
ectoderm containing great numbers of nematocysts, and forming, as it
were, a cushion-tyre supporting the edge of the umbrella. Prolongations
from the rim of chondral tissue may form clasps or _peronia_ supporting
the tentacles. The tentacles are primarily four in number, perradial,
alternating with four interradial tentaculocysts, but both tentacles and
sense-organs may be multiplied and the primary perradii may be six
instead of four (fig. 26). The tentacles are always solid, containing an
axis of endoderm-cells resembling notochordal tissue or
plant-parenchyma, and are but moderately flexible. The sense-organs are
tentaculocysts which are usually enclosed in vesicles and may be sunk
far below the surface. The gonads are on the radial canals or on the
stomach (_Ptychogastridae_), and each gonad may be divided into two by a
longitudinal sub-umbral muscle-tract. The radial canals are four, six,
eight or more, and in some genera blindly-ending centripetal canals are
present (fig. 26). The stomach may be drawn out into the manubrium,
forming a proboscis ("Magenstiel") of considerable length.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account